Difference between revisions of "2386: Ten Years"

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(Added an explanation for the next panel.)
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The first of the new panels shows Randall and his wife at a "Rabbit Rescue", interacting with buns ([[:Category:Buns|a recurring theme]] of xkcd).  The purpose of such events is to get rescued (often surrendered or seized) rabbits or other animals used to interacting with each other and with unfamiliar humans under controlled circumstances, to help them be more suitable as pets and hopefully entice visitors to adopt them.  Randall facetiously asks his wife if she thinks the rabbits have socialized enough, even though he and his wife are there for the sake of their own enjoyment (and she indicates that she would like to spend more time patting a bun on its head).
 
The first of the new panels shows Randall and his wife at a "Rabbit Rescue", interacting with buns ([[:Category:Buns|a recurring theme]] of xkcd).  The purpose of such events is to get rescued (often surrendered or seized) rabbits or other animals used to interacting with each other and with unfamiliar humans under controlled circumstances, to help them be more suitable as pets and hopefully entice visitors to adopt them.  Randall facetiously asks his wife if she thinks the rabbits have socialized enough, even though he and his wife are there for the sake of their own enjoyment (and she indicates that she would like to spend more time patting a bun on its head).
 +
In the next panel, Cueball is pushing Megan in a handcart, which is presumably stolen. (As evidenced by the off panel person asking if anybody has seen the handcart.
  
 
=== Trivia ===
 
=== Trivia ===

Revision as of 05:57, 17 November 2020

Ten Years
The ten-year cancerversary is traditionally the Cursed Artifact Granting Immortality anniversary.
Title text: The ten-year cancerversary is traditionally the Cursed Artifact Granting Immortality anniversary.

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a CURSED ARTIFACT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.
Randall's then girlfriend, now wife, was diagnosed with cancer in late 2010, a matter he has discussed in the comic multiple times before. It has been 10 years since her diagnosis and treatments.

This comic is a continuation of 1141: Two Years and 1928: Seven Years, which are shown as the first 16 panels, slightly grayed out.

The first of the new panels shows Randall and his wife at a "Rabbit Rescue", interacting with buns (a recurring theme of xkcd). The purpose of such events is to get rescued (often surrendered or seized) rabbits or other animals used to interacting with each other and with unfamiliar humans under controlled circumstances, to help them be more suitable as pets and hopefully entice visitors to adopt them. Randall facetiously asks his wife if she thinks the rabbits have socialized enough, even though he and his wife are there for the sake of their own enjoyment (and she indicates that she would like to spend more time patting a bun on its head). In the next panel, Cueball is pushing Megan in a handcart, which is presumably stolen. (As evidenced by the off panel person asking if anybody has seen the handcart.

Trivia

Cursed artifacts which cannot die were recently mentioned in 2332: Cursed Chair.

Transcript

Ambox notice.png This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.

From 1141: Two years

[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit on a bed, Randall's fiancée is talking on the phone. The person she is talking to, a doctor holding a clipboard, is shown inset.]
Randall's fiancée: Oh god.
[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit together while Randall's fiancée, now bald, is receiving chemotherapy. They are both on their laptops.]
IV pump: ... Beeep ... Beeep ... Beeep ...
[Randall and Randall's fiancée (who is wearing a knit cap) are paddling a kayak against a scenic mountain backdrop.]
[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit at a table, staring at a cell phone. There is a clock on the wall. Her head is stubbly.]
Randall's fiancée: How long can it take to read a scan!?
[Randall and Randall's fiancée are back at the hospital again, Randall's fiancée receiving chemo. They are playing Scrabble.]
Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word.
Randall's fiancée: But caaaancer.
Randall: ...Ok, fine.
[Randall and Randall's fiancée (wearing a knit cap) are listening to a Cueball-like friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads and it obscures the friends talk. The text below, split in three is the only part there can be no doubt about:]
Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mounta
a
and
Randall and Randall's fiancée (thinking): "Next year"
[Randall and Randall's fiancée are getting married, with a heart above their heads. Randall's wife's hair is growing back.]
[Randall and Randall's wife (wearing a knit cap) stand on a beach, watching a whale jump out of water.]
Fwoosh


From 1928: Seven Years

[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit on a bed, Randall's fiancée is talking on the phone. The person she is talking to, a doctor holding a clipboard, is shown inset.]
Randall's fiancée: Oh god.
[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit together while Randall's fiancée, now bald, is receiving chemotherapy. They are both on their laptops.]
IV pump: ... Beeep ... Beeep ... Beeep ...
[Randall and Randall's fiancée (who is wearing a knit cap) are paddling a kayak against a scenic mountain backdrop.]
[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit at a table, staring at a cell phone. There is a clock on the wall. Her head is stubbly.]
Randall's fiancée: How long can it take to read a scan!?
[Randall and Randall's fiancée are back at the hospital again, Randall's fiancée receiving chemo. They are playing Scrabble.]
Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word.
Randall's fiancée: But caaaancer.
Randall: ...Ok, fine.
[Randall and Randall's fiancée (wearing a knit cap) are listening to a Cueball-like friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads and it obscures the friends talk. The text below, split in three is the only part there can be no doubt about:]
Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mounta
a
and
Randall and Randall's fiancée (thinking): "Next year"
[Randall and Randall's fiancée are getting married, with a heart above their heads. Randall's wife's hair is growing back.]
[Randall and Randall's wife (wearing a knit cap) stand on a beach, watching a whale jump out of water. This is the last gray panel, with an additional label in normal black color.]
Fwoosh
Label: Two years
[Randall and Randall's wife (with her hair noticably longer) are walking through a forest.]
[Randall's wife is sitting down, not in the forest anymore.]
Randall's wife: My toe hurts and I found a report of a case in which toe pain was an early sign of cancer spreading.
Randall: Wait—didn’t you stub your toe yesterday?
Randall's wife: Yes, but what if this is unrelated?
[Randall and his wife are going spelunking. The guide is gesturing deeper into the cave while Randall and his wife are climbing down.]
[Randall's wife stands on a rock above an alligator in a swamp, photographing the alligator. Randall is on a balcony behind safety railings.]
Randall: When they estimated your survival odds, I think they made some optimistic assumptions about your hobbies.
[Randall's wife sits on an examination bed, listening to a doctor holding a clipboard.]
Doctor: This is probably nothing.
Doctor: But given your history, we should do a full scan.
Doctor: We'll call with the results in a few days. Try not to worry about it until then!
[Randall and his wife stand above a deep pond full of fish and other objects. Randall's wife is piloting a wired underwater camera with lights.]
[Randall and his wife are standing next to each other. Randall's wife has shoulder-length hair covering most of her face.]
Randall's wife: Hard to believe—six years ago, I was bald. But today, after a long struggle, I finally look like the little girl from The Ring.
Randall: That's, uhh... good?
Randall's wife: Hissssss
[A line of six people, including Randall and his wife, stand and watch the solar eclipse.]

New to Ten Years:



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Discussion

There is little or nothing I can add to this except to say that there is at least one good thing that has happened in 2020.  Congratulations, Randall and Megan.RAGBRAIvet (talk) 04:14, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

I'm not sure why would counting this non-event as something good happening in 2020 made more sense than counting, for example, the 75th anniversary of end of World War II which happened in September. Regardless, congratulations, Randall and Megan. -- Hkmaly (talk) 16:44, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

Its been 3 Years since 7 Years?! Damn, time sure does fly fast. Congratulations to Randall and his wife!

I was so confused when I read the comic-until I realized it was based on a true story. This is very sweet of Randall to dedicate this comic to his wife's progress. -neverdroptop 04:37, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

Congrats Megan and Randall! - skotos

I'm not crying, _you're_ crying. Such a heartbreakingly gorgeous comic, thanks Randall. Congratulations to you both. - Excession_OCP

Same; that second-to-last panel was so sweet! -- //gir.st/ (talk) 13:19, 17 November 2020 (UTC)
Also not crying, it's only something in my both eyes. Congrats to both of you!!! --108.162.210.104 15:24, 17 November 2020 (UTC)
Nope, I'm crying.

This is lovely. Congratulations on 10yrs cancer free. May your 15 year traditional anniversary gift not be cursed. Iggynelix (talk) 12:34, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

The start of this topic is here : [1]. The following posts are very touching too. Thanks Randall and Megan. JulienG (talk) 14:21, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

Congratulations Megan and Randall! Many more years! --173.245.52.209 14:30, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

Damn, a new pandemic has arrived: it affects xkcd readers exclusively and adds little salty droplets near their eyes!

Why does the transcript refer to her as just "Randall's fiancée?" We know her name is Megan. Regardless, happy 10 years, and may you have many, many more. Duraludon (talk) 15:51, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

Randall's wife is not called Megan, Megan is just something we call her, because he used that name a few times in the early comics for that character. In this comic Megan depicted Randall's wife, and thus it is not wrong to call her that in the transcript. Just like we call Cueball Randall in this comic, but not generally. --Kynde (talk) 16:42, 17 November 2020 (UTC)
Has Randall ever publicly shared his wife's name? 172.69.34.184 19:04, 17 November 2020 (UTC)
I Googled "randall munroe wife" and the first result is an article [2] on laughingsquid.com about Seven Years which calls her Megan, but Randall's Wikipedia page doesn't mention her name at all. I think that's why I was confused. Duraludon (talk) 20:13, 18 November 2020 (UTC)

This one just makes me so, so happy. I was scared that it would be a sad comic, but was overjoyed upon reading. --Char_Latte49

The thing that struck me was what he said about "not and act of grace, but something I desperately wanted to do". And I thought, hm, isn't it both, and isn't that the best kind of grace? Grace may be undeserved, but it doesn't have to be grudgingly given :). --162.158.74.89 17:27, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

Grace is something you can give to someone if you want/have to make the other person feel better (in whatever degree and whatever "feel" may mean in context). It is thus per definition not an act of grace if your motive is just your own feelings ("I desperately wanted to do"). That his soon-to-be wife felt better with that act (otherwise she most likely wouldn't have agreed) is just some lucky coincidence. That sounds somewhat cold and isn't meant as such. My point is that something may look like an act of grace but isn't one. Elektrizikekswerk (talk) 11:17, 18 November 2020 (UTC)
Grace is a direct referent to God (though you can use it another way, if an unbeliever). The notion of being saved is due to God's grace, an "unearned gift". You don't get it because you deserve it, you get it because God is generous. Even lacking the Judeo-Christian context, it still is used generally in a similar context -- a gift given by a generous spirit, not a gift deserved or earned. Randall rejects that notion, and says it was very much a gift he wished to share with her -- time together, whatever it wound up to be. And, in the end, that's all you can hope for, anyway. One of you can get hit by a bus tomorrow. --162.158.187.247 01:54, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

I have made a new series category, Category:X Years, for these three comics. Should in principle have been done after number two, but better late than never. A beautiful series. --Kynde (talk) 15:03, 18 November 2020 (UTC)

I tend to think the category is better called "N Years" rather than "X Years" since the number is not continuously variable, as x implies; n better suggests discrete numbers. Although I wonder if a more self-explanatory topic would be better, e.g. "N Years Cancer-free"? JohnHawkinson (talk) 21:12, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

I adore that panel of them sitting by the river. I wish Randall would do "serious" art like that more often, he's clearly got talent. --Youforgotthisthing (talk) 19:30, 18 November 2020 (UTC)

That frame of them walking up a mountain...is that related to comic 1190? Because it looks a bit like that. 172.68.86.21 22:12, 18 November 2020 (UTC)

Yes. Everything is related.

Um... while I love a good "citation needed" as much as the next person, I don't think there's any good reason why the Wikipedian Protestor should be mentioned here. More importantly, congrats to Mr. and Ms. xkcd! BlackHat (talk) 04:40, 21 November 2020 (UTC)